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New Zealand bans zero hour contracts

New Zealand has passed legislation banning ‘zero hour’ contracts, in a move to ban deals criticised by many as exploitative.

The Employment Standards Legislation Bill was introduced to end the use of deals that require employees to be available for work yet they have no guaranteed minimum hours.

Opposition Labour MP Iain Lees-Galloway said: “To the best of my knowledge it’s the first of its type (in the developed world), certainly in terms of the US and UK. “It’s possible Denmark doesn’t have them because these type of contracts are all about exploiting loopholes and I don’t think Denmark had the loopholes in the first place,” he told AFP.